A Twist In My Story
by HAWTgeek
Summary: Zeus didn't know what saving his son would do all this,nor would he probably care.But,without Percy and Annabeth getting together,there would never be a son.And if there was never a son,he never saves the world. Now it's up to Chiron to get them together.
1. Chapter 1

A Twist in My Story…

Hera pulled on Athena's arm, stopping Athena from going into the throne room where Zeus sat alone. Athena looked back at Hera, trying to mask her outrage. She had never gotten along with Hera really, but they had an unspoken agreement. Athena didn't mess with Hera, Hera didn't mess with Athena.

"Don't bother. It's _Skye Time_ again," Hera rolled her eyes, wondering why her husband just couldn't get over Skye's death.

Skye was his last son, and he had died in the Second Titan War almost thirty years ago when he was twelve. Everyone else had gotten over it, Skye's mother even. Zeus had gone on to have more children, even some grandchildren by now.

But Zeus had never gotten over it.

Skye was the first child of his to be_ exactly_ what he wanted. He was a male, he was handsome, he was strong. He looked exactly like Zeus, and he acted like it, too. So much so that he wasn't exactly _liked_ by many. And he loved his father, which was also unusual. Hera hadn't seen Zeus so happy with a child, which made her jealous since she had bore his children twice.

"Again?" Athena complained.

"Again," Hera nodded.

"Perfect," Athena mumbled, crossing her arms.

Hera paused, deciding that now was as good as a time as any.

"I was about to head to the human world. There's a lecture on Female Greek gods down at Yale. Want to come?" Hera offered, hoping for some bonding time with her step-daughter.

She longed for a companion, someone who didn't make her want to scream or come home reeking of alcohol and cheap perfume.

Athena looked hesitantly at the door to the Throne room. What she had to tell him was important, but it wouldn't do any good if she went in there now. He wouldn't listen, and he would become agitated if she tried bringing it up again, even if it was another day.

From that point on, her proposal would forever be connected to Skye.

"Sure," Athena smiled, and the two goddess turned away from the throne to begin walking toward the edge of Olympus.

"Oh, how are Percy and Annabeth?" Hera asked, almost forgetting about the pair. A few years ago, Annabeth had made it up to Hera by coming to her by saving the life of Eleanor, a girl Hera had secretly raised for years. Hera blessed Annabeth and her husband, making it so that their dream of a family could come true.

"Well. Peter just turned ten, and Catherine is already six," Athena smiled. She didn't quite like Percy, but she had accepted him by now, for her daughters sake. And she adored their two children, even they were part _Sea Spawn_.

Hera smiled at that, and they continued to talk as they left for Yale.

Zeus waited until he could hear them far away before turning his attention to his favorite servant, who waited attentively at the bottom of the throne. Zeus smiled to himself, and he looked back to his servant. He knew his wife and Athena would kill him if they knew what he was to do, each for their own reasons, but they'd be too busy to notice if he did it now.

"Do it," Zeus nodded towards the servant, and the servant began the spell.

Zeus watched without emotion as the portal opened, or at least he was trying to show no emotion, showing the home where Alexis used to live. Once the servant stopped chanting, Zeus stood and stepped through the portal.

Everything hit Zeus at once. The smell of flowers. The sound of sprinklers and kids laughing. The neighbor women gossiping on their front lawns. Children riding around on their bikes, and moms jogging around with their toddlers in their strollers.

He took that first step onto the paved walkway to the front door of one of the many homes, and he realized how different it was from where Alexis had lived when they met. Alexis was an ex-model who lived in an expensive penthouse, but she had moved here when Skye was born. She owned her own store and, like her son, was loved by the town even if her son was without a father.

Zeus hesitantly knocked on the door, and it didn't take long before Alexis answered. She gasped and dropped a phone.

"Zues," she stared at him, her eyes wide, for a long time before she spoke again, "What are you doing here? Is Skye okay?"

"He will be if you listen to me."

Alexis stared at him for a long moment.

"What are you talking about?"

"May I come in?" Zeus asked, but he was taking a step in before she could respond.

"Zeus, what did you mean about Skye?" Alexis didn't waste any time, and she hurriedly inquired for her only son, even if she secretly sometimes wished that she hadn't conceived him.

"He's going to die, Alexis," Zeus didn't water it down, he told her the truth straight-up.

"What?" Alexis screeched as she covered her mouth out of shock.

"But not if you get him away from camp for the rest of this summer, keep him out of the war. Take him with you to Bermuda. He'll live then."

"Of course," Alexis immediately nodded, ready to take orders like she always had from Zeus.

He told her to keep the baby instead of abortion, and little Skye was born. He told her name him Skye, he was Skye. He told her to move out of the city, she did just that. He told her not to be a model again, to be with their son, and she quit and became a boutique owner. She had always done as he said, and she always would.

"Good," Zeus nodded, happier than he had been in years now that Skye would never die.

Zeus didn't know what he had done, he didn't know how important his son was in reality. He didn't know who he would run into in Bermuda. He didn't know what Skye would stop, he didn't know what avalanche of effects would transpire after that. He didn't know that visiting Alexis that day, warning her, would lead to the end of the human race.

_**The First Effect**_

Just as the moment came where Skye would have been killed, he was boarding the plane to Bermuda. A young girl was being stabbed instead. She would live, but she would have a limp for the rest of her life and she would never be able to reproduce.

Zeus was fine with this though. His son was still alive, and that was all that mattered to him.

Skye felt bad about not being at the battle. It wasn't necessarily to help his friends, but he didn't want to be the jerk who went surfing instead of putting his life on the line for everyone. Skye's mother made him board the plane earlier, and, not even the expensive first class (Which Alexis's second husband's weath had afforded them) could make Skye smile.

As he took his seat, he saw a redhead take the one next to him. She looked just as miserable as him, if not more. Skye stared at her for a long moment, he knew her from somewhere. By the time she was putting away a canvas tote underneath her seat, he remembered where.

"Rachel?"

Rachel looked over at the twelve year old boy, but she didn't know him.

"Yes?" she asked, still trying to figure out how she knew his name.

"You're Rachel Dare. I'm Skye Bingley, I go to camp with Percy. You probably don't remember me," Skye suddenly realized that Rachel didn't know who he was, which felt off for him._ Everyone_ knew Skye.

He was _the_ Skye Bingley. He flattered himself to being the biggest ladies man their camp had ever seen, even if Percy took first prize in their eyes. Also, every guy wanted to be him. They wanted his life, which was perfect. He was part god, part _King_ of the gods infact though he didn't know it then, and he was extremely handsome.

In Skye's eyes, you'd have to be blind to miss him.

"Wait, you're _Skylight_," Rachel smiled, and Skye's face fell. Skylight was a despised nick-name Annabeth had given him, saying he acted like he was as important the freakin' sun, and everyone had taken to it fast.

"Yeah," Skye blushed.

XXXXXX

Rachel stared out at the water, and she began to feel something.

She knew what it was, a vision. An important one at that, and she emptied her mind to welcome it in.

She hoped it was for Percy, she missed him so much. And she didn't like to leave Percy with Annabeth. Annabeth was so beautiful, and so in love with Percy. What would she do in Rachel's absence? Would the thought of dying make her decide to finally confess her love for Percy? And what would Percy do about it?

The vision was coming to her when she was broken out of it.

"Rachel?"

Rachel's head turned around to see Skye, running from where he was staying to her.

"It's almost time for our Scuba lessons. Are you coming?" Skye yelled off, and Rachel hesitated. She wanted that vision, and she thought if she stayed there long enough it would come back.

But she smiled at Skye and started walking towards him.

"Coming."

_**The Second Effect**_

Rachel never got the feeling to come home. She never became oracle and "Broke-Up" with Percy. A young girl, Annabeth's younger sister, Lilla, became Oracle instead of Rachel.

Annabeth sat at the table and looked over at Percy.

Her feelings were bubbling over, and she couldn't take it. Usually, she could blame it on "Teen Angst" but not this time. She knew it had nothing to do with being a sixteen year old girl and everything to do with the way he looked at her after she got stabbed. That protective nature, that genuine worry for her. He even told her about the Achilles Heel spot, which she never would have expected.

She had known she had a crush on him for a long time now, but it seemed to be growing and growing until it was just a crush anymore.

She….she loved him.

She knew what she wanted to do, but she tried not to think about it. If she thought about it, she might talk herself out of doing it.

She was leaning closer to him, about to kiss those lips of his. But then an Iris message came through when Annabeth was mid-lean.

"Percy?"

Both Percy and Annabeth looked at the message, with the same amount of surprise.

Rachel was on the other end of the line, her green eyes wild with worry. Annabeth's stomach clenched, and she knew that her moment with Percy was over. Once again, it hadn't gone through, and she was still in the Friend Zone with Percy.

"Rachel!"

The two began to quickly talk, and Annabeth felt out of place. She told Percy that she'd leave the two to talk, but Percy barely heard her. Annabeth was slows as she walked away. She felt herself get heavier with every step, and it took all of her strength to make it away.

"Wait, Annabeth, what happened? I thought you were going to tell him!" Juniper followed after Annabeth, worried for her friend.

"_Rachel_ happened."

While Juniper chased after Annabeth, trying to help her friend, Rachel began to weep out of joy that Percy was alive.

"I don't know what I could do without you, Percy," Rachel began to cry into her knees, and Percy wished he could be there to stop her tears, "I love you so much, Percy."

Percy's eyes widened, and Rachel looked up, realizing she said that out loud.

"What?" Percy inquired.

"I…I…I love you, Percy," Rachel looked down as she finished that.

"I…" Percy waited a moment, not sure how to finish it.

He knew he wanted to say the same back. He liked her, he liked her _a lot_. But something was holding him back, something he couldn't explain even to himself. That image of what he saw when he got the Achilles Heel was stuck in his head.

"I love you, too, Rachel."

Rachel smiled wide, and her tears turned into tears of joy.

_**The Third Effect**_

Percy and Annabeth weren't as close after Percy proclaimed his love for Rachel, instead of Annabeth. For a while, she couldn't even look at Percy. It hurt too much to bear, and she was so in love with him that it felt like Aphrodite could only give her so much that Percy must feel the same.

When Percy went missing, Annabeth was the one who searched the hardest. She tried to seem like she wasn't in love with him, but she gave up on that early on. She worked with Jason every day, trying to help him remember the place where the Roman Camp hid. Annabeth would do anything for Percy.

When the moment came where she found him, he hugged her. Everything was perfect for Annabeth, so perfect that she cried from joy. He held her tightly, like she was the dearest thing he could ever hold. She buried her face in his shoulder, and he swirled her around like she weighed littler more than a leaf.

But then he set her down, and he loosened his grip to talk to her. He was smiling as he asked how she was and what had happened since he had been gone, and she was happy to tell it all. Then Rachel got off the boat.

Percy forgot about Annabeth and looked at Rachel. He let go of her and stared at Rachel. He didn't even say goodbye to Annabeth, he just ran off to Rachel.

Chiron watched as Annabeth broke. The light which had always been in her eyes no matter what evaporated, and she was unable to move. Her mouth formed an 'O', and her tears became real. Chiron watched Annabeth give up on Percy, but Percy was too busy kissing Rachel to even notice.

Everyone knew what had happened (Taking a picture of Percy and pasting it on a dummy, which she sliced to pieces only moments later, made it obvious). But no one knew what Percy thought. He didn't seem to understand why his best friend of all time suddenly couldn't look at him and avoided him at all cost. And no one had the heart to tell Percy what had really happened.

_**The Final Effect**_

Chiron hurried to Percy and his family.

"Chiron, you made it," Percy smile at Chiron, happy to see the old man. Percy couldn't imagine his high school graduation without him, especially with how hard he worked to become valedictorian, and he had worried that Chiron really would be too delayed to make it.

Chiron had warned Percy that morning that he would be a little late because of delays. He just didn't tell Percy that the delays were Annabeth.

Annabeth had invited him to her graduation in California earlier, and he just had to come. He cried with the family as Annabeth was crowned valedictorian and gave a magnificent speech. Annabeth first hugged Chiron when she got to her family, and Chiron had been ecstatic to be there, he couldn't imagine not having been there. Once again, Chiron tried to talk Annabeth into coming back to Camp that summer for the few weeks off with her "Pre-College" classes in New York. But Annabeth didn't budge, but Chiron knew she wouldn't. She did promise to come the next summer though, but Chiron wasn't sure she'd hold to it.

"Wouldn't miss it, Old Boy," Chiron resisted the urge to call him Seaweed Brain. No one had called him that in so long, and Percy wouldn't have known how to handle it.

"Great," Percy smiled wide, happy to know that someone was here other than his family.

"How are you doing?" Chiron asked hopefully, and Percy wished he meant with the fact that he was leaving his family for college soon.

But Percy knew he meant his new break-up. He had been with Rachel for two years, two _long_ years in which so much had happened, and it had blindsided him when she told him "We need to talk". Rachel explained everything, why she was leaving and everything that he could have ever wondered about. Just because she made it all make sense, it didn't soften the blow. It might of even made it worse.

"Fine," Percy shrugged. He wasn't sure how he was doing yet. It hadn't been long since the break-up, and he was still numb from it.

"Good. I hope to see you at Camp, you're coming back this summer, right?"

"Of course," Percy nodded, "Why would I not?"

"Well," Chiron found himself stuck. He had to bring up Annabeth now, "It's just…_Annabeth's_ not coming."

"Annabeth?" Percy nodded, feeling a hollow feeling settle over him.

He missed Annabeth, especially now. He missed her calling him Seaweed Brain and somehow making everything fade away. It also hurt that she wasn't here, smiling proudly that he had worked so hard be valedictorian or to make fun of his speech. He wondered what she was doing, why she wouldn't come to Camp. And he worried if it was about him.

Chiron's chirping cell phone interrupted the awkward silence, and Chiron apologized repeatedly as he took the call.

XXXXXXX

Lilla waited impatiently for Chiron to come. She sat at the desk of the dwelling Apollo had decked out for her. For more than urgency of her message, she wished Skye to leave the area. He was hunting with his friends, bragging about girls he had been with though he was still only fourteen. And Lilla could hear everything, probably by Skye's design.

When Skye finally shut up, Lilla smiled and straightened her spine, knowing Chiron was finally here.

Chiron didn't go into all the write formalities of coming in, her urgent tone on the phone told him that he didn't have time for that. He didn't even change out of centaur form, which he usually did because it made it easier for Lilla to have him sit beside her to watch the computer screen.

"Come, come," Lilla waved him in and went to her files. Like Rachel could transmit visions to paintings, she could transmit it to video on the computer.

"What is it, Lilla?" Chiron asked impatiently.

"First, I saw this. What was supposed to _really_ happen today," Lilla replied quickly.

She pressed play, and it showed Percy coming out of the school Gym, in the same valedictorian dressings Chiron had just left him in. His mother was the first to find him, and she hugged him tightly. The rest of the family followed, but they soon all made way for one. Annabeth ran up to hug him, and he swirled her around and kissed her passionately after setting her down.

Chiron was shocked, but Lilla wasn't done.

"Then this all came."

Lilla showed him a video that showed small fragments of videos.

Annabeth saving Rachel in a helicopter. Rachel telling something to Percy and him nodding solemnly. Annabeth kissing him in the pavilion. The two being thrown into the water and kissing. Their tear-filled reunion after he went missing at the Romans. Their graduations, in which she still lived in New York. Them going to college and both graduating. Them moving into together a few years later, and her waking up the next morning with an engagement ring on her finger. Their wedding. Having a son. Then having a daughter.

"What is all this?" Chiron finally asked.

"Their life, what it should have been."

"Wow," it was all Chiron could manage.

"That's not it. This is their son, Peter," Lilla showed another video.

A very handsome teenager stood alone who had inherited every attractive feature from their parents to create someone who looked to be a god. He climbs down a ladder while a girl distracts someone else. He takes out a few tools and manages to help out his friend, probably a Hephaestus child, fix something. His friend was yelling, and Peter had to climb up again. He took out a dagger, something his obviously cherished, and he pushed the dagger into a pipe. A close-up of some guy showed him screaming as he saw the "Unable to Perform Explosion. Request Terminated" alert blink on a computer screen.

"If he didn't do this," Lilla pointed to the screen, "We all die. Everyone. The gods have to start over. It might even kill some of them eventually, they'll fade. Unlike everything else, there is no one to replace this moment_. He _has to do it."

Chiron nodded, still not quite sure what he could do about it.

"He has to be raised like Percy and Annabeth raised him, with good values and loyalty. He can't just be born and sent to an orphanage or anything," Lilla was first to rule out Chiron's plan, "You have to make that happen."

_**Annabeth**_

I hurried my walk towards my apartment building.

It was a cute building, very urban and was in a great part of town. My older half-brother knew about how I had worked on Olympus and wanted him to come work with his company as soon as I finished college. Since I had a lot of offers, my older brother was giving me special benefits, like a heads-up on low rates at this awesome building.

But I also thought he wanted to take care of his little sister.

Today was the day that I met my new roommate. I had lived here this summer with Vanessa, but she left saying she wanted to be in the social side of college. But I knew she cared more about taking my spot as favorite student and best student than the entire human race. It's not like I liked her, so I was happy to finally get her away.

I didn't know who my new roommate would. Vanessa was paired with me through the school where we both got into this summer internship thing, and I didn't really know anyone who was going to school around here who didn't already have a roommate. Chiron had chosen my roommate but hadn't told me who it was yet.

As I got to the front door to the lobby, I saw the long line to the elevator, and I groaned. I hated long lines, always had. Especially for elevators.

I turned away from the front door and went to the back of the building.

Since I hadn't been to Camp Half-Blood in a year, you'd think I'd be without my usual training. But you'd be wrong. I was in better shape today than I had ever been, and climbing up the fire escape like I did everyday had to do with it.

I pulled down the ladder and began to climb up. The fire escape back here wasn't really supposed to be used, it was more of so you could say "We have a fire escape". If there was a fire, everyone would go to the place in the hall that led off to the side. The fire escape I climbed was metal and a little rickety, despite how new it was, and that made me love it all the more.

It was harder to climb in my black combat boots, but I didn't want to take them off. It would ruin the look, the look that I had spent forever putting together after the "Percy Incident".

When he chose _Reddy_ over me, I lost it. I couldn't seem to survive that summer, that awful summer. When I did, I bit my lip and sadly stayed in New York to finish Olympus. As soon as I could, I moved back to California, and this was really my first time back to the state other than coming when I knew it would be impossible to see Percy.

I cringed as I thought about him, and I continued climbing to the sixth floor of the nine floor building.

I came to the window to the empty extra room that had never really been used. There were already two bedrooms, and this wasn't exactly a big room. It was just kind of small and wasn't big enough to be a bedroom. I wasn't sure what it was supposed to be used as, but I used it as a room to get through the window.

While I was pulling the window open, I heard a muffled voice.

My roommate wasn't getting here for another _two hours._

I pulled my dagger out, and I slowly crept in, making sure not to speak.

The door opened, and, in a flash, it came to where I was holding a dagger to someone's throat.

I took a look, thinking it'd be a monster, but it wasn't

Held in my tight grip was a boy. He was about my age and maybe 6'3. He was strong, insanely muscled as if he had been training his entire life. His eyes were a beautiful sea green, and his hair was newly cut and black. The boy's skin was so tan, like he lived in the sun twenty-four seven.

His eyes widened, and I gasped, dropping my dagger in the process.

"Where-" Chiron trialed off as he came into the room, and he immediately looked down at the dagger on the floor, "I see you two have met again."

_Percy_.

Percy is _here_.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Percy,**_

I searched to find something- _anything_ really- that showed me that the girl who held me in her tight grasp, which had earlier held a knife to my throat, was Annabeth.

No, not Annabeth.

_My Annabeth_.

The one who loved Architecture and the Hunger Games, even if she thought it was cliché to read it because it was so popular. The one who I could tell anything to. The one who had saved my life so many times that I had quickly, and_ purposely_, lost track.

_The one I missed…_

I kept searching her face, trying to see if she still was my Wise Girl.

Other than her lips becoming thicker and her cheekbones becoming more pronounced, her face was the same. But she had changed from the girl I knew.

Her long curls were the same, but she let them loose like Taylor Swift instead of how she used to always tie it up in a ponytail. She still wore jeans, yes, but distressed skinny jeans instead of just regular. Instead of grey converse, she wore shiny black combat boots. Her shirt was a white tank top with an owl stenciled on it, and her black blazer fit her perfectly.

I could see that this wasn't my Annabeth, and, even if she was, I wasn't _her_ Percy anymore.

The look in her beautiful grey eyes explained that perfectly.

Annabeth, who had been staring at me like I was staring at he, finally spoke and let me go.

"Wah-why are you here?"

I couldn't speak.

I'm not sure if it was out of seeing Annabeth for the first time in years or if it was that look in her eyes, that look of her almost pleading me to leave, but I couldn't speak.

When Chiron had told me this summer that he had found a perfect roommate for me, who was going to go to the same school as me and that they were an old friend I had sort of lost touch with, I expected it to be a friend from the Roman camp or something. It had never crossed my mind that Annabeth Chase would be the one I would be sharing an apartment with this school year.

I didn't know why Annabeth couldn't stand me, but I thought about it a lot nowadays since Rachel had packed her bags for California and left me behind. I thought about what Annabeth would be doing a lot, I wondered who she was hanging out with after her graduation. I wondered what kind of guy she was dating. And I wondered if she ever wondered about me.

Her eyes said she did.

But I wasn't sure if that was good.

"Percy is your new roommate, Annabeth," Chiron spoke up first, and he clapped me on the back.

Both Annabeth and I looked back to Chiron, but I was the one to speak this time.

"When did this happen?"

"_Well_," Chiron began, "I was talking to you at high school graduation, and I remembered that you needed a roommate. And, well, Annabeth, you said that your roommate was moving out. It just seemed perfect."

"How did that seem _perfect_?" Annabeth asked, putting her head in her hands.

"You guys used to be best friends, remember?"

"Yes, we _remember_. But that's it. We _used_ to be best friends. _Used to!_"

Annabeth looked like she could break down, and I wasn't sure how to take it.

Should I be insulted, even if I kind of agreed with what she said?

"Listen, _both of you_," his voice became stern, "Do you think I like this? I have to _lie_ about things so that I won't bring you up to the other. I love you both, okay. And I want you to try to love each other again."

Annabeth grit her teeth and tried to talk to Chiron, but it didn't matter.

He was like our dad, and we loved him so. He wanted us to be here, so we'd be here.

I kept looking back at Annabeth, feeling my stomach clench as I realized that Annabeth really didn't love me anymore. Of course, it wasn't romantic between us or anything, but we had loved each other. It came with saving each other's life and everything. But I liked to think that it was more, that she loved me for me. That she loved my quirks, that she loved me enough to put up with all of my crap. And I had loved Annabeth with that same way. I had even learned to put up with the constant random facts that Annabeth loved to spout off. It was something I had known.

But she didn't love me anymore….

_**Annabeth,**_

I kept looking at Percy.

I couldn't help it though.

He hadn't changed much. His hair was still shaggy and black, and his sea green eyes were beautiful, even if they looked a little dim and depressed. He had grown a few more inches, not much, but it made him 6'4 instead of 6'1. Percy's cheekbones seem a little more pronounced, and his nose had become less like his mother's and more Roman. He still dressed the same, with his jeans and tee shirt. I noticed on his arm that his bicep still held the tattoo from the Roman camp, and I was a little shocked that he had dated Rachel and only had that one.

This was _Percy Jackson_.

You know how there is a crowning moment where you just change, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. I used to think that this moment was either when I was seven and ran away with Luke or when I first met Percy. But I saw now that it wasn't, it was the day where I found Percy after all those months of him being in that Roman camp.

He made me feel so safe, he made me feel like he loved me. Like he would see that Rachel was nothing. Like he not only wanted to be with me, but he _needed_ it.

He made me think that he felt like I did.

But then it ended.

He whispered goodbye, or he might not of because I was so shocked that I didn't hear anything. And he just let go of me and left, off to kiss his girlfriend hello.

Percy, maybe feeling me staring at him, looked towards me.

Or more specifically _my arms_.

"That's a little hypocritical, don't you think?" I finally asked, smirked at the boy across the living room from me.

"What?"

"When you have a tattoo of your own," I held up my arm.

To pull of my look, and maybe to entertain myself, I drew on my arm. Since my color this week was aqua, I took a marker and started to draw a quote from the Iliad on my right arm and around my wrist.

Percy blushed a little, and an awkward silence filled the air.

I don't know why, but it was like I felt sorry for the guy. So, I kept going.

"They're fake."

"What's fake?" he looked up, shock written across his handsome face.

"These," I motioned towards my arm, "Magic marker."

He smiled and nodded, probably happy to see that I was still responsible or something.

So, I decided against telling him about the real tattoo on my back.

"You've changed a lot," he finally told me.

I tried to see if he meant that as a compliment or not. It's not like Percy had ever taken a romantic interest in me before, so I wasn't sure if he even _liked_ the way I looked before. Sure, he had always said I was pretty, but he didn't _act_ on me being pretty. So, I wasn't sure to trust that. And, in a way, it felt like he was calling me _cute. Puppies_ are cute, _girlfriends_ are beautiful.

"You, too."

Rachel made him tan so much? Where was she anyway?

"Hard to think it's time for college, right?" I smiled, trying not to show how my stomach was knotting.

"Yeah, and that we're going to the same one," Percy nodded, "What were you doing here anyway? Isn't it a bit early?"

"Oh," I blushed, not meaning to, "I got into Pre-College classes. It's kind of like an internship for the summer. I flew down three weeks after graduation, and I've been here since."

Percy smiled, though the moment was so awkward that I wanted to get in a cab and kill Chiron slowly for making this moment happened.

What had been in Chiron's head?

How had it made sense to him to do this?

Not everyone knew why I hated Percy, but they knew I did. They thought it was some simple friend-feud that was probably petty, but Chiron knew. Chiron saw it, he was there as I broke down. He was there as I felt that pain, that unbearable pain that made it so that I couldn't even be around Percy no matter how much I loved him.

He knew why I threw myself into work so that I could be finished with Olympus within a year. He knew why I moved back to California, though I was so an East Coast girl. Chiron knew why I never came back to camp during the summer and why I was so hesitant to move home, though my dream exclusive college had decided that they wanted me.

But he didn't seem to know that I didn't want to live with Percy, that I couldn't talk to him. That I didn't know how to be around him. That I didn't know what he found funny, what he found annoying, and what he treasured any more. All I knew was that he had spent two years with RED when, if I had faster kissed him already all those years ago, could have been spent with me.

"Yeah, I heard we're going to the same school," Percy tried to keep this conversation going.

But we both that we needed space.

I needed to get a cab and get off to the school gym, which happened to be state of the art like the rest of the school was, and I needed to get to my locker where I kept everything that made me calm, my loose Camp Half-Blood tee shirt and an ipod with every song I like. I needed to change into that shirt and scare the hell out of those trainers as I beat the crap out of the dummies there, who had seen just about everything.

I didn't know what Percy did. Maybe it was the same, probably was knowing Percy. Maybe it was calling RED. I was clueless, I only knew that he needed to do it.

"I better go, I'll see you tonight."

"Right, yeah," Percy seemed relieved that this was all over, but I kept thinking about how it would be tonight.

I stood and headed towards the door, and I was reaching for my black tote, about to get the hell out of there when Percy stopped me.

"You'll be here tonight, right?"

"Oh yeah, I'm not good with parties or anything. Never out grew it, I guess," Percy shrugged, blushing a little.

"Yeah, me too," I nodded, realizing that we would be spending even more time together thanks to that little fact.

"Um, Annabeth."

I turned back to look at him, a little scared of what it would be.

"Yeah?"

"On my sixteenth birthday, when Rachel's Iris Message came through, I kind of felt like you were about to say something. Were you?" Percy seemed a little scared, as if he had thought about this so long and was a little scared of what I'd tell him.

I wanted to lie.

But I just couldn't.

I don't know what it was. Maybe I still had loyalty to the guy, but I couldn't lie to him. Not when he seemed to fragile, like he was about to go over the edge. Not when he had that look of regret, wondering what mistakes he had made that made him so unhappy.

"No, I wasn't going to say anything."

I wasn't lying.

I _wasn't_ going to_ say_ anything. That would require a real plan, something I so didn't have. If anything, I was just praying to any god I could think of and biting my tongue, forcing myself to drown out the objections of my brain for the wants of my heart. I was just going to kiss him and pray that he kissed back.

"Right," Percy smiled, but I could tell that there was this air to him, something that told me that he thought about that day as much as I did.

_**So, I'm a little disappointed that this isn't catching on so much, but I still have some hope :D Anyway, hope you like this. **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Annabeth,**_

I just stood in the shower, trying to have the steaming hot water wake me up from this awful dream.

Or what I prayed was a dream.

Usually, I could zone out as I trained, but I could only think of Percy Jackson. I remembered training together, laughing though our bodies were about to give out, and I remembered that smile he had as he beat the hell out of one of those training dummies. I remembered how we'd tiredly leave the arena and just fall to the sand on the Lake and talk for what felt like an eternity. Then remembering that brought me to memories of Camp, and those were almost lethal.

Thinking of camp gave me this hollow feeling, and I began to wonder who I really was. Was I Annabeth anymore? Or is she buried far underneath the walls I built?

And what has happened to Percy in these last few years?

I almost felt guilty for not being there, for not knowing what was his new favorite food. What his dream job was or what he planned on majoring. His life plan, or if he even had one yet. Who had taken the light out of his beautiful green eyes. Or even how his family was doing.

I wondered if he felt the same way for not being there for me. I wondered if he wished he had known who had been my first kiss, who had taken me to prom, or who had first broken my heart. If he ever wondered about why I looked like I did now, if it was just a change or if it was something deeper than he knew. If he ever thought about me, when he was at camp, or when he fought with RED.

_RED_.

Where was she? Why hadn't she been there to wish her boyfriend good luck in his new apartment? Why didn't anyone ever bring her up? Did she hate me as much as I hated her?

No, she couldn't.

I had just been a pain to her, an obstacle in front of the prize.

She had seriously ruined my life. Even before I gave up on Percy, she had tried to ruin our friendship. She barely let me see him, and he usually had to lie about where he was going if he came to see me. She also complained about me all the time, and I could tell that it was setting in to Percy, too. Then she got what she wanted, she took Percy away from me, all to herself.

Where would I be if_ I _had told Percy that day? If that call had never come through? If he had proclaimed his love for _me_, not _Rachel_?

I shook my head, knowing I'd start to cry if I kept thinking about that.

I turned off the gym shower and reached for my towel outside.

Taking my time, I got ready to leave. While I dried off, I sorted through my clothes for what to wear. I threw my sweaty camp shirt back into my bag to wash and because I'd probably need it later. My shorts weren't too sweaty, so I slid them back on. I put my owl shirt back on and had a little bit of trouble with the clasp for my favorite Owl necklace, a gift from my mother for my sixteenth birthday. My wet hair managed to be a little hard to put into a loose bun, mainly just to get the wetness of my neck.

By the time that I had gotten dressed and found nothing else to occupy my time, I checked my watch.

It was still about four or so, and Percy would probably still be unpacking.

I wasn't sure about Rachel being there or not, but I knew she would probably leave by five if she was there. So, I was trying to fill my time until then.

Instead of going to the coffee house which was buzzing alive with all the early students coming for their dorms, like I usually did, I went towards the Science building.

My early classes here had been to gain a few credits, and I had only had a three week seminar on Architecture with the teacher I'd be under now. But I had already chosen my favorite teacher, even if it wasn't my favorite subject.

His name was Peter Robinson. I was supposed to call him Professor Robinson, but I was his favorite student, so he let me call him Robin. He taught basic science and Biology, and he was great. Aside from his amazing teaching style, he was insanely handsome as well and was the youngest teacher on staff, only being thirty one. His hair was dark brown, and his eyes were an electric green. He was the kind of guy that my mother would date, which is why I was sure my mother would be asking for an introduction any time now.

I knocked on his office door, hoping he was there.

"Come in," he called out in that melodic voice of his.

I pushed the door open and closed it behind me.

"Annabeth," Robin smiled wide, "How are you? Are you okay with your new roommate?"

I shrugged, not ready to go into that just yet.

I was friends with Robin, maybe better friends than I should have been, but this was a barrier I didn't want to cross right now. Maybe I'd tell him one day, but not today.

"Well, they must be better than Vanessa," Robin smiled his dazzling smile.

_If he could only know…._

"If they're so bad, maybe you could join my Biology class and get away from them."

"That's actually why I'm here. Do you have any spots open?"

Since I wasn't in to partying and Percy wasn't either, it seemed hard to find an actual reason to separate us. I knew that Chiron would disapprove of me taking this class just so I could get away from Percy, but I wasn't in the mood to make Chiron happy right now. I was still pretty pissed at him.

"Of course, I can sign you up right now. I'll make sure you get a spot," Robin smiled. He'd been trying to get me in his class for the longest time.

"Thanks."

"I'll warn you though," Robin told me as he scribbled my name at the near-top of a list, "You won't be the star student."

"How do you know? I'm not too bad at Biology," I smiled proudly. I had been like a daughter that Robin had never had, and he loved me so. I would never think of that love being _more_, it never could be. We were like family. I was also a great student, Robin loved how I powered through my disabilities and all.

It had always burned at Vanessa, my old roommate, that the teachers liked me more. We both understood the rest of the teachers, but Vanessa had expected to win the ever so wonderful Professor Robinson that we all heard about. I wasn't sure if it was because of the fact that she was a double major or if it was because one of the majors was Science, but Vanessa was so sure that she would be the one to win over Robin.

I think that might have been the final straw, me winning over Robin.

"There's a brilliant student who's also here on scholarship. He's a marine biology major, and he had an amazing thesis to get in. He's basically already got jobs lined up on the outside of this place, just like you. I think you two will get along well," Robin smiled playfully.

I suddenly felt a fear hit me sharply.

"Wah-What's his name?"

"Let me see," Robin looked through the names on the list and stopped, "Perseus Jackson."

My heart stopped.

"I'll get you two as partners, my two stars," Robin smiled proudly.

And I couldn't breathe.

_Crap._

_**Percy,**_

I continued to make brownies, using the tricks that I had learned in culinary school.

When I was seventeen, I had no clue what I wanted to do, and I was a really good cook. Chiron, who wanted me to always have a back-up plan, helped me find a culinary school that I could go to at night and such. Rachel hadn't liked it though. She hated not seeing me, and she thought that I should wait for school until I knew what I really wanted to do.

She finally got me to quit, which I guess was good in some way since I would have never taken such an interest in Marine Biology if she hadn't taken cooking away from me.

I wondered a lot about Rachel.

She just _left_.

Yes, she sat me down and explained why she was doing what she was doing, but she just got on a plane for an art camp in California two weeks before graduation. The worst part is that she _knew_. She _knew_ that she was going to leave me behind while she went off to a different coast, and she hadn't meant it when she said she was still thinking of taking the offer of a college she was accepted to in New York. When she booked that ticket, she knew what she was going to do.

I had been dumped even before I knew it.

I slid the brownie tray into the oven, which I noticed had barely been used by the way.

I set the timer and went back to the list of classes I had left on the countertop.

Taking it to the living room, where I sat down on the chair I had officially chosen after seeing that Annabeth preferred the other, I tried to see which classes could be doable before I fell in love with one.

I already had my mandatory Marine Biology classes highlighted, and I was trying to work out if I would have enough time for the other classes that I wanted.

This sheet was emailed to me last week, and I had spent all of that time trying to make a decision. __

I had to have my mind made up tomorrow, and I wasn't even close.

I was highlighting a Latin class to fill my requirement for a language when I heard a slight creak of the door opening, but I didn't really register it.

"You unpacked fast."

I looked up, shocked, to see Annabeth.

Her blonde hair was damp, and she looked more like the Annabeth I knew. I knew that she'd change back into her old rocker vibe pretty soon, but I liked to see her like this. I liked to know that she still wore loose tee shirts and ponytails, and I liked the idea that she maybe she could go back to the old Annabeth I knew and loved.

"There wasn't too much to unpack. Most of my stuff is with my mom in the suburbs," I told her as she set her keys in a bowl.

"Your mom lives in the suburbs?" Annabeth seemed to have cooled off since we had last seen each other, and I was happy about that at least. She wasn't warmed up to me in the least, but she was better than before.

"She moved out there this summer," I nodded, missing my mom.

She and her husband, Paul, were in the middle of an adoption process, and he got a great job over in the suburbs. Seeing that there was really nothing left in the city and that it'd look wonderful to the agency, they moved on out there. I had been so close to my mom that of course I missed her, but I even missed Paul now. After the break-up with Rachel, we got really close, bonding over teenage heartbreaks. The only thing we hadn't gotten along with was how Paul brought up Annabeth a lot, asking if I had talked to her recently.

"My step-mom is trying to talk my dad into it, for the twins. I don't think he'll buy in though."

For a moment, I stared at Annabeth.

It wasn't even in the character of the _old_ Annabeth to bring up such a personal thing so fast, but especially not in this _cold Annabeth._

"Yeah," it was all I could manage.

Annabeth put her black tote on the floor and hesitantly came to the living room with me, trying to make an effort to be nice to me.

And it made me happy, so I kept it going.

"You're looking at classes?" Annabeth seemed to be happy to speak about school.

Something we had in common, I guess.

"Yeah, sign-up's tomorrow and all."

Annabeth smiled and nodded.

"I already signed up for just about everything I wanted and had time for. You shouldn't get too many though, because of how hard your major is and everything."

I stared at her for a moment or tow.

"How'd you know my major?" I asked suspiciously, but I realized my smile was playful without me even knowing it.

"Oh right," Annabeth blushed a little, not a lot but she blushed, "Professor Robinson. I went to his office to sign up for Biology, and he bragged about his new science star. He says you're a genius."

It's my turn to blush. I'll never be as smart as Annabeth, that I know. But I did get smart enough, enough to get me here. To make me feel like I was smart, and I was fine with never being as smart as Annabeth. But I did like that Annabeth thought I was smart, or at least she did until I did something stupid again.

"So, we're going to be in class together, then?"

"Yeah, and you'll love our teacher. He's great," Annabeth nodded.

Before I could respond, the timer dinged for the brownies.

"What's that?"

I almost laughed at the fact that she didn't even know what the sound of the oven timer sounded like.

"The oven," I stood up and went to the kitchen, and she followed after me.

"_The oven?_"

"Brownies."

"_Brownies_?"

"Peanut butter brownies," I nodded as I opened the oven and pulled out the tray, and she stared at me.

"You _cook_?"

I nodded and cut a small square, and I handed it to her.

"Oh my gods!" Annabeth smiled happily as she ate it, "This is amazing! My brownies _never_ taste like this!"

She ate some more.

"Thanks," I smiled, "I went to culinary school for a while. Rachel made me quit. Looks like I stayed long enough though."

"_RED_," she mumbled, freezing up.

"_RED_?"

"Oh right. You never called her that. I meant Rachel. How is she? Are you two… still…" she paused as if the last word hurt her, "_together_?"

I hesitated.

"No."

She looked up, silently asking what I meant.

"Well, she broke up with me a little while before graduation. She's in school back in California. Haven't heard from her since."

"_Really_?" Annabeth seemed to be happy about finding this out.

"You really didn't like her, huh?"

I remembered them never really getting along, but it had never seeped in how much she hated her until now. I thought that they just didn't like each other because they were jealous or something. it had never crossed my mind that they would _hate_ each other.

"No," Annabeth shook her head.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Annabeth,**_

I bit into a brownie as I looked at my reflection in the hall mirror.

My long blonde hair was left in its curls today, instead of how I usually straightened it. The bobby pins that held the braids that were all around were hidden in my thick hair, and I finally got to show off my earrings, which had been a graduation present from Chiron. As always, I had the owl necklace from my mother, and my make-up was done in the same way it always was. I didn't have the quotes printed on my arm today, mainly so Percy would calm down. And I had dug around to find an old Mockingjay pin bracelet from when Percy and I used to live the Hunger Games.

I held my ground when it came to the clothes though. I wore my black leather bomber jacket with a college tee shirt underneath. My black combat boots went over my dark wash skinny jeans.

"I thought you said you had all of your classes," Percy came out of his room, and I began to get jealous that it had taken him a fourth of the time to get ready than it had taken me.

"Almost all," I shrugged as I finished off the brownie and reached for my tote back.

Percy nodded as he ruffled his hair and went to get some coffee.

I caught myself _staring_.

When he had decidedly not put on a shirt all morning as he made breakfast, I had a reason to stare. But, with him completely clothed and not making an amazing breakfast, I felt guilty for staying at Percy.

He was so handsome. While some wouldn't agree with me when we were younger, I had always thought Percy was handsome. And I had thought he had gotten cuter and cuter every year. But, now that I had missed so many years, it was almost overpowering how handsome I found him.

"I forgot how far away the school is. Cab or subway?" Percy asked, obviously having warmed up to me after seeing that we both had hatred for his ex-girlfriend, Rachel.

"Subway is usually better. Takes changing the train though," I quickly touched up my hair and stared at myself with disgust.

I quickly began my mental rant about how I was strong and independent. Why was I, the _Annabeth Chase_, trying everything to get the attention of _the Percy Jackson_? The one who had broken my heart so long ago? The one I had sworn the hate?

"Which is faster? I don't want to miss my classes," Percy asked as he returned, holding one of the final peanut butter brownies, which I was about to marry by the way.

"Subway probably. Morning traffic," I quickly made it look like I had been looking for a book and shoved a book for a class that I had finished two weeks ago in my bag.

"Ready?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

_**XXXXXX**_

I looked on my highlighted list.

So far, I had gotten all of the classes I had wanted, and I was in a pretty good mood. There were a few where I didn't know yet, but I forced myself not to obsess over it. It wouldn't make a difference if I did.

I glanced back at Percy, who was signing a piece of paper, while I made my way to the coffee shop.

After getting here earlier than everyone else, I gave him a tour of the school. But, as soon as the classes started opening to sign up, we separated. He went to Science, I went to Math. And I haven't stood next to him since.

Was this a good or bad thing?

I wasn't sure.

I quickened my pace to the coffee shop and looked around for my friends.

Due to having had lived here for years before now, I had a few old friends here and there that I occasionally met up with. But I had four friends who I hung out for the most part. There was Emanuel, my absolute best friend who was in the same classes as me this summer. Glynn, who was Vanessa's much nicer older brother. Lyssa, Glynn's long-time girlfriend. And Renee, my other friend who was in my class this semester.

And then there was Dannie.

Dannie was only a year older than me, and he was a genius. Aside from this, he looked like a god. He had shaggy blonde hair that fell into his dark grey eyes. He had high cheekbones and a roman nose. He looked like he had been training his entire life, but he only did kickboxing at the Gym, which is how we met.

Now, I hadn't dated much, but, if I could date anyone on campus, it would undoubtedly be Dannie.

I forced myself not to blush as I came up to the coffee shop counter, where Dannie worked.

"Hey, Annabeth, white mocha latte?" Dannie asked, though he knew the answer.

I nodded with a smile.

"So, how's the new roommate?" Dannie asked as he went back to make the latte.

I had thought over what to say. I knew I'd have to explain to my friends the past I shared with Percy and why we hadn't had a present until now, but now didn't feel like the right time to tell them the sob story of how I fell in love with Percy Jackson and got declined for Rachel Dare. That was something to say after a drink or two.

"Well, he can cook," I shrugged, leaving out as many details as I could.

"By Annabeth standards? Or by normal people standards?"

I shook my head, laughing a little bit.

Everyone knew I couldn't cook.

"Normal people."

Dannie smiled at that as he brought me my latte.

"Awesome. So no more meals of Gatorade and popcorn, right?" he leaned over the counter, looking straight into my eyes, and I let myself blush this time.

People used to think we were related, because of how we were both blonde and almost had the same eye color, _almost_. And, for a long time, I worried that he was a secret son of Athena, or Minerva. But, when I met his family, I finally understood that we weren't related. He had gained his beautiful looks from his ex-model mother and his brains from his computer-genius dad.

"Yeah," I laughed, and I pulled out my wallet to pay for the coffee.

"Nah, this free coffee will cost less than the therapy I'd need from going crazy here without you. Take it," he smiled at me, and I blushed yet again.

_**Percy,**_

What was this feeling swarming inside me?

Jealousy?

No, it couldn't be.

But, as I continued to watch Annabeth and the coffee guy talk, I knew that it was indeed jealousy.

Why was I jealous?

Annabeth and I had never had anything romantic, though I sometimes wished we had, and we were definitely not romantic now. We were being forced together. Even if we had a friendly conversation last night, we weren't _friends _per say.

But it still burned at me to watch the two of them.

I realized that she used to smile at me like that, that her laugh had been that same genuine that it was now. That she had probably talked to me about the same things she was talking to him about. But had her eyes glistened like they were now? Had she blushed when my fingers brushed over hers? Had she blushed _period?_

I couldn't take much more of sitting there, and I looked away from the Coffee shop and back to the campus.

I was done singing up for classes, getting all but one that I wanted. But that one class hadn't been something I was dying to get or anything.

I took out my phone and shot off a quick text to Annabeth, saying I was going to head over to the suburbs today and that I'd see her tonight. And I couldn't help but keep watching Annabeth after sending the text, waiting to see her reaction.

But she didn't even seem to notice anything except for that guy she was talking to.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AHH! I had no idea it's been a month! I just forgot! I was going to make this longer, but I feel like I have to update right now! I promise I'll make the next chapter a million times better!<strong>_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Annabeth,**_

"Hey, Annabeth, wait up," Percy called out to me as I began to make my way down the hallway.

I froze, and I looked back at him.

Percy.

_Friends._

We were friends.

Nothing else.

But I still found my heart pounding as he started walking up to me.

Sometimes, I had to remind myself of everything. Of how painful it had been to conceal my feelings for him. Of how bright that temptation was to finally kiss him in the pavilion but not being fast enough to do it. Of how much it had hurt to watch him break my heart like that.

To realize that, no matter how much I loved him, he _didn't_ love me.

I had worried for years that I would never get over it, that I would be on my deathbed still thinking about him. I had worried that I wouldn't be able to forgive him.

But, standing here today, I _wanted_ to forgive him.

Sadly, though, no matter the temptation to do so, I couldn't forgive him like I wanted to.

The grudge still burned in me. And nothing shy of truly receiving Percy Jackson's love could ever really die it down.

"Hey, Perce," I pushed my hair behind my ear as he caught up to me.

"I just finished my test, and I'm ninety-nine percent sure I didn't tank it," Percy nudged me.

"_Ninety-nine_ percent sure?"

"It's much better to be ninety-nine percent sure I did well than ninety-nine percent sure I failed it."

I nodded, slightly laughing as I followed him out to the quad.

"Let's celebrate," Percy smiled, nudging me again.

While I was still hesitant, Percy had gotten right back into being friends.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Or, at least, to him.

"I can't."

Percy raised his eybrows at me.

"Does Annabeth Chase _actually_ have a social life?"

"Yes, I do, thank you very much. And I told them we'd hang out."

"Them?"

I was about to begin listing their names when I suddenly saw them.

As a group, they were hard to miss.

They were pretty noticeable anyway, but you just had to stare when they were all together.

Dannie, who was staring at Percy unmistakably.

Emanuel, who was the most obvious of them all. Over the summer, he had a spray tan addiction, always looking like something from the Jersey Shore. But, without his horrible fake tan, he looked a_ little_ normal. Emanuel liked to be different, so he had a Katy Perry-like addiction to dying his hair different colors. This time, it was spring green, and he still dressed still in his Simpson pajamas.

Glynn, who dressed so preppy that you just had to stare at him in a group like ours.

Lyssa, a beautiful brunette who looked like she belonged on a runway instead of just at school. If she would realize it though. Her silky brown hair was tied up in a messy bun, held together by colored pencils because she was always too busy drawing to focus on anything else. Her tee shirt was for some band she and I loved, and her jeans were splattered with paint. She never wore any make-up, not that she needed it anyway.

And then Renee. Since she had gotten out of class much earlier, she had already changed into her workout clothes. Her curly black hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail, and she was sipping at her large coffee. And, though she actually hated coffee, she had learned to love it when she had developed a crush on Dannie as well.

"Them?"

"How'd ya guess?"

Percy shrugged as they began to approach.

They were all quiet, with Percy and Dannie staring daggers at each other.

Finally, I got the courage to speak.

"This is my roommate, Percy. Percy, these are my friends."

"Hi," Percy nodded to them, but Dannie cut in.

"_You're_ her roommate?"

"Yeah, our old camp counselor set it up," Percy nodded and smiled nicely, clenching his first as anger began to grow towards Dannie.

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Perseus Jackson."

Dannie's eyes grew wide as he realized just who was standing beside me.

_The_ Percy Jackson.

The one who broke my heart so cruelly.

The one I had hated for so many years.

"So, you cook, right?" Glynn asked, moving Dannie aside.

"Yeah, I went to culinary school for a while."

"Really," Glynn started towards him, "I've tried to take some classes, but I can't seem to find a really good one. I can find meals but not deserts."

"My mom was a baker for a long time, so I learned most of that from her."

"Now, I have this big question. Do you hand-whisk or use a mixer? I can't tell which one is better."

"I think it really depends on the dish. Most of the time the mixer works just as well though."

_Well, at least one of them likes Percy._

_**Percy,**_

Glynn, who had been determined for me to teach him how to cook the brownies Annabeth was so wild about, set the hot pan down on the countertop and began to cut them while it was still easy.

I tried to focus, but I kept thinking of Dannie.

He was _coffee boy_.

I knew Annabeth liked him, that part was obvious.

But I hadn't expected him to hate me so much when he met me.

And I couldn't figure out why.

Did he know why she hated me?

Or did he just hate me for not trying to get back to being her friend like I should have?

Or… had Annabeth liked _me_?

I knew she didn't like me _now_.

If anything, I would be overjoyed for her to like me as a _good friend_ right now. I'm not even thinking about her liking me like _that._

As I continued to think about Dannie, I tried not to make it obvious and look towards the living room, where Dannie and Renee were hunched over a book while Annabeth was sitting around, already knowing everything in the book.

"I think the brownies are ready to eat, Percy," Glynn told me, and I sighed.

Annabeth, hearing the words _Brownie_ and _Eat_ said in one sentence, looked up.

I nodded hesitantly, but I couldn't help but smile as her lips formed a bright smile.

"Peanut butter?" Annabeth asked hopefully, which made Dannie look up with a confused look on his face.

"You ate it all."

She stuck his tongue out at me, but she got up from the floor anyway.

Dannie stared, silently telling Annabeth not to do it, but she took no notice as she started towards the kitchen and got a brownie from the pan.

His dark grey eyes narrowed at me.

And I resisted every urge to stick my tongue out at him.

"I'm going to go get a brownie," Renee finally stood up and nervously walked away from Dannie.

He nodded towards the spare room, which Annabeth used as her landing when she decided that the elevator was too slow and she wanted to climb up by the fire escape.

While they were all talking, I slid into the room after him, and he shut the door quietly.

"Hi," I smiled, and he glared.

"Hi," his voice was cruel.

"What? Are you mad at me because I made brownies?" I tried to laugh, but his glares made it impossible.

"So, why are you here?"

"You _made_ me."

"Not _here_," he gestured to the room, "I mean, here! As in the apartment!"

I tried not to laugh as Dannie freaked out.

"Our old Camp Counselor set us up."

"And you haven't thought to leave?" Dannie shook his head.

"Why?"

"You really don't know, huh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you think Annabeth just snapped without a reason? That she left because she just felt like it? Even _you_ know Annabeth better than that."

I continued to stare.

"Think about it, Seaweed Brain."

I froze.

_Seaweed Brain_.

I hadn't been called that in years.

If anything, I missed that.

But it made me sick when he said it.

My eyes narrowed at him as he left the room.

_Think about it, Seaweed Brain._

What did _he_ know?

And what did I _not_ know?


End file.
